Apple‘s deal with Formula 1 is only one Grand Prix in, but the tech giant is bullish on what it has seen so far.
In a sign of strength for the streaming platform, Apple’s senior VP of services Eddy Cue tells The Hollywood Reporter that viewership for last week’s Australian Grand Prix was up year over year compared to the 2025 race, which aired on ESPN.
“The 2026 Formula 1 season on Apple TV is off to a strong start, with fans responding positively and viewership up year over year for the first weekend, exceeding both F1 and Apple expectations,” Cue says.
As is typical for Apple, the company declined to give any specific numbers, though last year’s Australian GP averaged 1.1 million viewers for ESPN. The Australian GP is something of an unusual race, given its late-night timeslot, but any ratings improvement is nonetheless an encouraging sign, especially with more U.S.-friendly races like Montreal and Miami coming up.
F1 has become a priority for Apple TV, adding a regular cadence of events throughout the year, and joining MLS and MLB in Apple’s live sports portfolio.
Apple secured the U.S. rights last year, with the Australian GP marking the first event under the deal.
The tech company has been seeking to leverage different parts of its ecosystem to promote the events, including in Apple News, Apple Music and the Apple Sports app. The company has also been cutting deals with third parties to expand the reach of the sport, most notably striking a deal with Netflix that will bring Drive to Survive to Apple TV and the Canadian Grand Prix to Netflix.
Apple has also leaned into tech for its live coverage, with multiple ways to watch the races, and 4K delivery (Apple executives are always proud to note the quality and latency of their video streams when discussing Apple TV).
“Fans are loving the enhanced viewing experience, including Multiview, Podium View, driver cams, and the ability to watch Formula 1 in stunning 4K with Dolby Vision for the first time,” Cue says. “The AUS GP also coincided with the biggest week ever for the Apple Sports app since its launch. We’re just getting started and are incredibly excited about what lies ahead.”
Apple, of course, had a smash hit last year with the Brad Pitt-led F1 movie, which is among the films nominated for best picture at this weekend’s Academy Awards. In a note earlier this year, Cue cited the F1 movie as one of the big drivers in viewership for Apple TV in December, claiming that the platform “set a new monthly record” for engagement and viewership.
And, with the Oscars on the horizon, an F1 sequel is growing increasingly likely. The Ferrari team driver Lewis Hamilton, who served as a producer on the film, said at the Australian GP that a script for a sequel was already in the works.
With the media rights and now a film franchise, Apple and F1 are connected and incentivized to grow the sport in the U.S. going forward. While ESPN helped reintroduce it to the market, there is no question that it was a secondary sport for the channel, which poured more resources into sports like the NFL and NBA.
At Apple, it is being treated as a priority. For F1, that means hopefully building a sustainable fanbase that not only streams the races on Apple TV, but shows up in person and gets engaged however they can.
“F1 has been always on and off in the U.S., for decades,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali told The Hollywood Reporter last year, just a few hours before the F1 movie’s Times Square premiere. “We were not able to hook the American market because at the end of the day, we were a little bit arrogant in believing that the American fans would understand us without being continuously speaking with the American fans and American audience. We were coming here for three days, for the weekend, and then going back.
“The strategy,” he added, “has completely changed.”
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